RESIDENTS are being targeted by an immigration scam which tells them they have won the lottery.

One recipient was Debbie Maher, who initially started planning a new future after being told she had netted £530,000.

She was excited when she opened a letter from Bilbao-based Euro Millions Lottery Primitiva telling her she had won a share of 13,770,500 euros.

For about an hour, she was planning to retire from her job as a manager of retirement home William Nash Court in Brantwood Way, St Paul's Cray.

But then the mother-of-three read all the terms and conditions she would have to fulfil in order to claim her share of the prize pot.

She was instructed to fill in a form with her name, address, national insurance number, telephone and fax numbers, her occupation and marital status.

The fake lottery company also wanted full details of her bank accounts and a copy of her passport or driving licence.

The 42-year-old says she is concerned she was targeted because she lives in an old people's home.

She said: "The letter was really bona fide looking stuff and it's apparently been going on for about 18 months.

"In the letter, the company said the money will come on December 21, which gives it the opportunity to completely rip people off for Christmas and scam them for the next year.

"I have got blind and deaf residents and people with mental health issues such as Alzheimer's.

"How would they deal with things like this?"

She says her safer neighbourhood team told her the letter is an immigration scam where people get fake identities using passport and bank account information.

Chief Inspector Marshall Kent, who is in charge of safer neighbourhood teams in Bromley, said: "People should never give personal or account details to anyone who contacts them unexpectedly.

"Never give out your personal details to anyone you do not know, particularly if your only contact is by email or mobile phone."